Breaking the Barrier
by RandomName316
Summary: They spend everyday looking out of the TV at the owner of their DVD, never breaking their routine. The thing is, Syo has been having dangerous thoughts of doing just that. All for the real person on the other side of the screen. Can this fictional character do something about the real girl that stares at him but never truly sees?Will he be able to break the reality separating them?
1. Chapter 1

**First chapter of my new fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy it! I would appreciate reviews and constructive criticism! Anyways, Enjoy!**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Uta no Prince-sama. I do, however, own my OC(s) and plot. _**

* * *

Syo groaned as his curtains were thrown opened and bright sunlight streamed into the room.

"Syo-kuuun~!" Natsuki tossed himself on top of the smaller boy in an enthusiastic attempt to wake his roommate. Ai-sempai watched from a distance with no expression.

"If you sleep in, your performance will decrease." He said in a robotic voice. Syo snarled in his direction as he was squeezed by Natsuki, his face turning red from lack of air. "Our disk was purchased last night. You were already asleep. They haven't put the disk in yet. I'm not even sure the packaging has been torn off, though there is a 45.5% chance that it has been. According to my calculations."

"Yea. Whatever. Why would I care about that anyway?" Syo said harshly then stomped into the bathroom to get ready. He immediately started slamming things and rummaging through drawers. He would never tell the others but he was just as excited as they were that their compilations of DVDs had been bought. It was a big deal since only one of the cases held the actual characters. All the other disks that were being played were simply that- disks. But these particular disks were special. They had been the first one shown to the creator of their anime. It didn't matter that the disks there still in the packaging, the creators love had reached in and brought life to it's characters.

_Well...not life exactly. Instead of unknowingly repeating everyday like the other disks, we are aware of it. _Syo thought wryly, sitting in angst for a moment before renewing his enthusiasm. He carefully hid it behind a layer of hostility when he walked out to have breakfast with Natsuki and Ai-sempai.

* * *

"So? Are you excited?" Ry looked up into her mother's face and tried to smile; the most she could manage was a fake one. Her mom clapped once and looked at her husband. "Well it is your birthday! We got you some cool stuff so I hope you like it!"

"Relax punkin. If you don't enjoy this stuff, try it before you give up on it. You might like it. She means well." Her father whispered in Ry's ear when her mother scurried out to get the presents.

"Yes. Just like she did when she named me RyLynn." The girl said dryly and her father laughed.

"Well she didn't want you to have just any old name and so-"

"And so I combined my favorite boy name and my favorite girl name! I think it's lovely!" Her mother said, walking in with an arm full of boxes wrapped in brightly lit paper. "It's a shame that people only call you Ry."

Ry shrugged and stared straight ahead, the feelings of numbness and despair threatening to take over. Her depression was steadily getting worse and the only ones who knew about her slow descent was her parents. She was able to put up an act at school but even that was getting hard.

_"Don't force yourself to feel things." _

Her therapist's words came back to her as her mother set the first birthday present down with glee. She was bouncing and grinning ear to ear. Ry looked at her and tried to show a little excitement but ended up fighting tears when she realized she couldn't even do that for her mother. Ry's unsteady fingers began ripping away at the paper as her parents watched. It was a box set series of some anime. The front picture held six boys and a girl, all of them surrounded by colorful bubbles and grinning. The title was in big, pink bubble letters, reading Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love.

"It looks very girly." She stated simply.

"Yes well..." Her mother began, not sure whether she was in need of justifying her actions.

"It's ok Mom. I'll try it." Ry gave a forced smile and started taking off the wrapping.

"Ok well try it and, if you like it, we'll give you your other presents." Her father said.

"Alright." Ry started toward her room, not even questioning the reasoning, simply wanting to be out of the multi-person environment. When she got to her room she immediately popped the first DVD into the TV and curled up in multiple blankets on her bed. The screen lit up with bright colors and cheery singing.

* * *

"Places everyone! They put the disk in!" Ringo-sensei fluttered around as everyone looked out of a TV screen for the first time. They were struck the position for the main menu and looked out to see a girl with short and wild raven hair and icy blue eyes looking around her. She would have been pretty if her expression didn't has such a heavy sense of underlying sadness. The corners of her full mouth were turned down slightly and sharpness of her eyes dulled. STARISH tried desperately not to exchange glances as the girl finally found the remote and started the first episode of season one.

Syo watched her carefully when he was off screen. He didn't get the chance to on screen so he was taking his chances where he could. She watched straight through season one, her face beginning to show a little emotion, and by the end Syo was amazed to see that she was crying. A soft knock came at the bedroom door and the girl wiped her face before calling to the person outside the room.

"RyLynn, honey, dinner is almost ready. Oh." The girl was looking off screen and the characters in the TV tried to resist craning their necks to see who it was. "You're already watching it. How do you like it so far?"

"I..." the girl tore her gaze from the person in her room and stared at her TV screen for a moment, as if it could give her the words she needed to complete her sentence. "I like it...a lot."

"Oh great! In that case-" The unknown woman went over to sit next to the girl. They were obviously mother and daughter, sharing the same raven coloring in their hair. She began to chatter as the girl, RyLynn, she had been called, zoned out. Eventually a masculine voice had called out, telling them food was ready.

* * *

"That girl was strange."

All the members of STARISH and Haruka turned to look at Ranmaru who glared. The cast from season one and two were all sitting together in the dorm's cafeteria and discussing their first day on the job.

"She seemed so sad." Haruka said in a sweet voice, eyes downcast.

"But she liked us!" Otoya said brightly. He looked at them all with a large smile. "Right? Didn't you guys hear her?"

"Yes..." Tokoya said with apprehension.

"That means we make her happy right?" Natsuki said with a chibi face of realization. "Yay!"

"No, it doesn't mean that at all! She didn't smile once!" Syo gritted his teeth together and got up abruptly as everyone stared at him in stunned silence.

"Syo...kun?" Natsuki said weakly as his childhood friend left the room.

* * *

"Damn it! Why doesn't she smile? Aren't Haruka's songs good enough for her?" Syo stormed into the room that held the TV screen. The TV was off but their disc was still in the player so he could see outside perfectly without her seeing in. The girl was sitting on her floor with multiple objects scattered around her, wrapping paper everywhere. She was holding a perfectly square case in her hands and Syo looked around at the other items around her. They were all from multiple anime shows, box set, and different accessories. Syo jumped when RyLynn suddenly stood up and went to the sound system to the left of her TV. He was surprised when he heard their theme song float out of the speakers. The girl began tidying up the area, organizing her new belongings. When the songs ended Ry took the case and shut her eyes as she hugged it gently to her slender frame.

"Thank you..." The words were so soft that Syo almost missed them. The girl went to sit on the edge of the bed and held the CD case up to her face. "I know that I'm talking to an inanimate object,,,and I know that that's crazy. But I'm so glad I found this show, I have to tell someone out loud and no one else would understand."

RyLynn took a deep breath and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Syo placed a hand lightly on the screen in front of him, feeling like he was the one watching the movie.

"This show...made me feel _things. _It didn't make me feel like other shows did. Like I _had_ to be sad because the situation calls for it, or that I_ had_ to laugh because something funny happened. It made me feel those things without even trying. By just being itself. So maybe...maybe it would be ok to be myself. To let myself feel whatever I feel and accept it. Until I can do that with confidence, and smile at my mother with sincerity, please...keep making me feel."

Syo looked out at the reality girl outside of the TV.

"We are, to her, what Hyuuga-sensei is to me." He said in wonder. "She know what it feels like... to admire someone."

* * *

**Thank you for reading my second fanfic! Please leave a review telling me what you thought. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter two! Enjoy!**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Utapri. I do, however, own my OC(s) and plot.**_

* * *

"Syo-chan! Look!"

Syo looked up from his book to see Natsuki pointing out of the TV with enthusiasm. Otoya was the only other one in that particular room as well and he was looking out with a strange expression. Syo picked up his bookmark and looked to see that the girl was awake and standing in front of her vanity. She looked haggard from crying and her hands held a slight tremble, something Syo noticed to be constant.

"What's her name again?" Syo said suddenly. Otoya kept his eyes on the girl while Natsuki shut his eyes and stood with his arms cross, thinking. Suddenly his eyes brightened and he gave an excited smile.

"It was something with Ry at the beginning so lets call her Ry-chan!"

"Thank wasn't what I asked!" Syo yelled. Otoya was giving Natsuki an excited smile while nodding. Syo side and looked back out into reality. Ry-chan was putting stuff in her hair to make it messier and then she began putting make up on. By the time she was done she looked refreshed and sweet, the make up hiding her red rimmed eyes and dark circle.

"Oh! Ry-chan is cute! Like Syo-chan!" Natsuki clapped with wide eyes as he watched. Syo turned red and smoke leaked from his ears. The girl began picking out clothes. The boys were surprised to see bright colors and flower prints, all the clothes considerably girly. When she put on a navy, button up tank top and a tan skirt that fell nearly to her knees, she looked like a sweet and innocent girl who liked nothing more than to have fun and walk along beaches at sunset. By the time she sat back down in front of her vanity all the other boys and Haruka had begun to file in. They all watched together as RyLynn began to practice smiling in front of the mirror.

"What is she-?" Otoya started. He was cut short when Ry-chan's fist flew down and landed on the top of her vanity. She placed her forehead on her forearms.

"Why can't I do this?" The cast of Utapri jumped when they heard a muffled voice from outside of the TV. The girl sat up slowly and walked over to her CD player. The members of STARISH looked at each other in surprise when they heard their own voices float out. The girl exhaled and inhaled deeply before fixing the make up that smudged from her tears. Slowly she began to hung along. When a couple songs had passed she looked in the mirror and gave a small smile. A giggle escaped and she clapped once, startling the TV characters.

"She's so cute when she smiles!" Natsuki said with rosy cheeks.

"Yes. A true flower." Ren added with a solemn look.

"I wonder why she usually looks so unhappy?" Otoya said with an adorably sad face.

"Still..." Haruka started and blushed when everyone turned to look at her. "I'm glad...that my songs make her happy."

* * *

"Ryyyy!"

Ry turned around to see three girls coming towards her. She had just arrived at her high school and was rummaging around in her locker. The girls coming towards her were all dressed in frilly clothing but had very different faces. The tallest had light brown hair and amber eyes, the shortest had blonde curly hair and brown eyes, and the one that was about the same height as Ry had straightened red hair and light green eyes. All of the girls were slender, including Ry, though she was a bit more filled out in the hips and bust area. The girls got multiple wolf whistles as they made their way to RyLynn.

"Hey." Ry took on the personality she wore at school, shyly ducking her head and giving a sweet smile. The little blonde girl gave her a big hug and giggled, immediately starting to tell the raven hair beauty about what had happened to her from the last time they had seen each other, which was the day before.

"Ok slow down a little Em, we want to say hi too." The girl with amber eyes, Mila, gave her smaller friend a hug. The girl with red hair, Christy, took a turn next and the girls began walking to class. As the girls walked passed, a path seemed to magically clear for them. The guys drooled and the girls gawked, and while her friends basked in it, Ry ducked her head, not only fortifying her shy personality type but trying to avoid the attention and stares. It was quickly making her uncomfortable and she began walking faster.

"So we're partying at your place this weekend right?" Mila asked while throwing a flirty smile at Josh, the star quarterback.

"Y-yea. You can invite Josh too if you want." RyLynn said, giving her friend a smile.

"Oh fun! So you're giving us control of the guest list?" Em, or Emily, asked excitedly. When Ry nodded she squealed and bounce with excitement.

"Your party will be amazing. We'll make sure of it." Christy threaded her arm through Ry's and grinned at her.

"Duh!" Mila rolled her eyes. "It's Ry's party! Of course it'll be the best!"

Ry looked at them and smiled. They walked in the classroom, math, and sat in a straight row in the back.

"Um." Ry looked up to see two girls in dark clothes and multi colored hair standing in front of her desk. "The teacher told us to sit next to you so that we could ask you for help if we need it."

"Oh. Ok. But I'll say sorry in advance. I'm really not that good at this sort of thing." Ry gave the girls a sweet smile and her innocent aura branched out around her to make the atmosphere sparkly. The girls hissed away and huddled into their seats, not looking at her again for the rest of the period. At lunch the four girls all sat together with the sports teams. Ry, after half of the period being hit on by obnoxious and over confidant guys who's ideas of flirting were bragging and talking about themselves, went to get something from her locker.

"What's the deal with those one girls?"

Ry looked over the top of her locker door and saw two girls standing at the end of the row. One was a girl in her gym class and the other had been introduced as a new student this morning.

"Those are the school's elite. Good grades, good at sports, pretty. Actually their nice too. They just like to stick with each other. The one with black hair is a little weird."

"Oohh that one is pretty! I wonder how she gets her hair like that! Why is she weird?"

"Well back in middle school they had this other friend, Marissa. She was friends with all of them but I remember her and RyLynn being super close. In the middle of our second year she was killed by a drunk driver. RyLynn was devastated. She sorta checked out for a little while and when she came back to reality she was suddenly this shy, meek little thing. It was weird. I mean she was sorta shy before but now it's more like she's too sad to be outgoing."

The girls began walking away and Ry clutched her locker door in a white knuckle grip. She took a few shaky breathes before rummaging around.

"Hey."

Ry spun around to see a lanky boy with a handsome face standing behind her with a confident smile.

"Hi..." She said, looking away.

"I'm Jared. Actually you probably know me. I'm captain of the baseball team." He leaned on the locker next to her. She looked up at his blue eyes, blonde hair and strong jaw line. Now that he same something, he did look familiar to her. She seemed to remember him having a thing for Christy awhile back.

_I bet if he grew out his hair and dyed the tips pink her would look like Syo. He'd have to get shorter too... _Ry reeled back when she realized she was fantasizing about a drawing on a screen. Her face went red when she saw Jared looking at her in confusion.

"S-sorry. Yea I know you. Hi." Ry looked down.

"I'm so glad to hear it." He said smoothly. "I heard you're having a party this weekend."

"Oh. Yea well it won't be like a _party_ party. It's just for my birthday." She said while picking on the edges of her binder. He leaned a little closer and she tried not to take a step back.

"That sounds fun. Am I invited?" He said softly.

"O-of course! My friends are in charge of the guests but I bet if I said something..." Her sentence drifted off when she saw a self-satisfied smile stretch across his face.

"I'm glad. I hope we will be able to hang out more...RyLynn." He sauntered away as Mila made her way over to Ry.

"Ohh making new friends?" Mila wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Ry smiled. "Isn't that Jared? Wanna invite him to the party?"

"Yea. That's what we were talking about." Ry nodded and looked straight forward, not noticing her friend's intense stare.

"Hon...you don't have to have a birthday party _this _weekend."

"Yes I do." Ry responded immediately, refusing to look at Mila. Her friend's brow furrowed.

"Is there anything you want to tell us? Maybe something you haven't mentioned before?" Mila asked while studying Ry's face closely. They sat down in front of the lockers.

"Nope. What's this all of a sudden?" Ry asked with an innocent head tilt.

"Nothing. We're just all feeling the hole is all. We were wondering if you still felt it too." Mila shrugged casually and leaned back. The shorter girl tensed beside her, an empty feeling growing in her chest. The other girls showed up then and the conversation was relaxed, returning to normal.

_Please let today be over quickly. Mila is being weird. It was strange that Jared started talking to me so suddenly. He really does sorta look like a real life Syo...only taller..._

* * *

_Ya know if you combined Ringo-sensei's eyes and Tokiya's hair that would kind of make them look like Ry-chan... _Syo lurched back so hard his chair tipped backward. Everyone in the room turned to look and sweat dropped when he gave them a deadly glare. He sighed sat back down, everyone slowly dispersing. _What am I doing? Think about a real person._

Syo's relaxed face went tense and his eyebrow twitched when the lights went dim and a booming voice let out a slow laugh.

"It's dangerous to let your thoughts be consumed by that girl!" Shining Saotome made his grand entrance, ending up in front of Syo. "She might be a radiant beauty but she is also real!"

Lightening flashed behind Syo and he felt like he was falling into an abyss.

_He...he read my thoughts?! _

"Chairman..." Syo started, sweat dropping.

"The no romance rule doesn't count off screen but there is no way you can get involved with a real person!" Shining said, ignoring Syo's attempts to speak. "The two rule here is, don't break the routine and don't fall in love with real people!"

"Whoa hey! Who said anything about love ya weird old man?! So she has a nice face; what of it?!" Syo yelled, his face red and flames shooting out of his mouth.

"Aho ho ho! And same goes for the real girl!" Shining said as if he hadn't heard him, disappearing in a grand exit.

"Hey you come back here! I'm not finished with you!" Syo stomped on the ground then slumped down in exhaustion. "That guy..."

_He said 'same goes for the real girl' does that mean that she can fall in love with us too? _

Syo grabbed hi head and writhed around on the carpet. "Gahhhh! Why would I even care about something like that! It doesn't even matter!"

"What doesn't even matter Syo-chan?"

Syo yelped in surprise as he felt Natsuki pick him up to crush him with a hug. "We're all meeting in the TV screen room cause Ry-chan just got home and she might want to watch more or something. Besides I just want to see her!"

"Why?" Syo said flatly. Natsuki's eyes held stars as he clasped his hands under his chin and wiggled his backside.

"Because she's so cute!" He said. He began to drag Syo to the TV room and, after doing what felt like a ridiculous amount of homework, she did watch some of their show. As soon as the TV was switched off everyone dragged themselves to bed. Syo lay awake in the dark until he was sure Natsuki would be sleeping then made his way back to the TV room. Ry was still awake and looking something up on a laptop he hadn't seen before. He pulled a chair right up to the front and quickly looked around before settling down to watch. She was looking up Utapri merchandise. Syo went red when he saw that she had search specifically for his face.

"Che. Why does that matter? She doesn't even know me." He turned away briefly and shut his eyes in disdain. After a few seconds his eyes were once again glued to the girl's movements, the tapping of her small and delicate fingers, the way her full mouth opened slightly while she was concentrating. She stretched suddenly, her arms over her head and her chest arched upward. Syo blushed as he took in an eyeful of her womanly curves. She then turned the laptop off and started across the room. Just before she was out of sight, she began taking off her shirt, giving him a glimpse of the smooth expanse of her back, only interrupted by a lacy bra strap. Syo blanched and made an exaggerated effort to look away even though he knew it was too late. When she reappeared she was wearing a large T-shirt and basketball shorts. Syo shifted uncomfortably as he looked around him to check, once again, that he was alone. He felt like a stalker, watching her like this, but he could help but want to see her face when she slept. After a twenty or so minutes she drifted off, her face pointed in the direction of the TV.

_Lovely..._ Syo gazed at her, losing himself for a minutes.

"GAH! WHAT AM I SAYING?!" He shouted before remembering where he was and quickly placing the chair in it's original spot and rushing to his room.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Uta no Prince sama. I do, however, own my OC(s) and plot. **_

* * *

Ry sat on her bed and listened to the Utapri CD while she waited for her friends to arrive. They had insisted on coming over before the party to help her pick out an outfit. She shot up and turned the music off when she heard the front door open and close. Mila, Emily, and Christy burst in with enthusiasm, going over to her closet as soon as they finished greeting her. They picked an icy blue skirt and an off the shoulder, white peasant shirt. They went back downstairs to check out the decorations while she applied her icy blue eye make up, making her eyes the centerpiece of her face.

"The backyard looks gorgeous! Everyone should be here any minute." Mila swept in and threw an arm around Ry. "Oh, and happy birthday!"

Ry smiled wrapped an arm around Mila's waist as they walked out of the room.

* * *

"Whaaaaa?!"

The cast of Utapri continued to stare out of the TV with slack jaws and wide eyes even after the two girls were gone.

"Her friends are pretty too." Otoya said kindly.

"Not cute. Not like Ry-chan." Natsuki pouted.

"I'm surprised she has friends; I was under the impression she has a very withdrawn character." Tokiya said cooly.

"It's her birthday?" Syo asked with a question mark floating around his head. The boys and Haruka turned to look at him. He went red with anger and repeatedly stomped his foot. "What, didn't you hear her say that?! Are you guys deaf?! Geez!"

"Oh right." Otoya said thoughtfully. "It feels rude not to wish her happy birthday but it isn't like we can do anything about it."

"Yes. Still. She looks so beautiful, it makes me jealous. The boys attending her party will be able to flirt and stare at her all they want tonight and, alas, we're stuck in this box." Ren dramatically placed the back of his hand to his forehead.

"Who said there would be boys there?" Syo mumbled, turning his head to the side and unconsciously making a pouty face.

"Those other girls were dressed to impress. I don't think it was to catch Ry-chan's eye." Tokiya stated simply. Shadows began hanging from Syo as he ducked his head.

"Natsuki-san why did you say her friends weren't cute?" Haruka asked with a confused face.

"Ry-chan is small and sweet." Natsuki looked as if he was going to burst with happiness just talking about her. "Her friends are pretty but they're big and look like adults already."

Everyone sweat dropped.

"So he doesn't like them..." Masato began.

"Because they're sexy instead of cute?" Ranmaru's eyebrow twitched.

"But I'm glad they made Ry-chan look so cute! It makes me happy that we got to see her!" Natsuki grabbed Syo and began giving him a backbreaking hug.

"Oi! Lemme go!" Syo tried to struggle but eventually gave up.

* * *

Downstairs, where the fictional characters couldn't see, nearly every guest had arrived. The party was being held in the back yard with music and tables littered with refreshments. Ry's friends stuck with her, going off in shifts to mingle.

"Happy birthday Miss RyLynn."

Ry jumped in surprise as a male voice whispered next to her ear. She turned her head to see Jared smiling at her. He was holding a small silver box topped with a bow.

"Um just Ry." She said with a blush. He nodded handed her the box. "Oh you didn't have to..."

"No, but I wanted to." He smiled warmly and Ry stole a glance to the side and saw her friends exchanging eyebrow wags. They tried to hold in their giggles, not succeeding at all. Ry rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Jared.

"Did you just get here?" She asked politely.

"Yea. I saw you right when I got in so I figured I should get to you before everyone else." He flashed her a winning smile and she tried to contain the blush that started in her cheeks as she began showing him around. People shouted various greeting at her during their walk, complimenting the party, wishing her happy birthday. Jared waved and made small talk as they moved at a snail pace through the crowd.

"Hey!" Ry turned to see the new girl walking over, dragging the girl she had come with over with her. "Thanks so much for inviting us! Happy birthday!"

Ry smiled warmly. "No problem! And thanks so much! Are you two enjoying yourself?"

"Oh yea! There are a lot of people here but it's fun meeting them. I'm new." The girl gave a bright smile and rocked back and forth on her heals, her friend smiling, not saying anything.

"I know, I saw you the other day. I hope everyone makes you feel welcome. Have good time." Ry smiled as the two girls walked away, both giggling and looking around.

"You're a good person." When Ry turned around Jared was smiling at her with a look of admiration. Her brows knit together as she gave him a confused look. "Well you're nice to everyone. Not just the cool people."

"Um...thanks?" Ry tried to get past the fact that he just called the nice girls she had been talking to 'not cool'. Soon they had circled back to her friends who had all managed to lure in an attractive boy from a sports club. Ry began noticing small comments Jared made, always implying that they were part of some sort of caste system. Her friends were starting to notice as well. They occasionally glared in his direction while trying to distract themselves by talking to the boys around them. Ry started to tune him out as she simply stared at his face.

_He looks like Syo but Syo would never talk like that... _Ry tensed in shock an tried to hold back a small 'eep' as her thoughts wandered. _Gaaahhh! Why the hell do I keep doing that?! _

"Ry! Come on!" Ry jumped slightly as she looked over to see her friends watching her expectedly. "We're going up to check our make up and stuff."

She quickly got up and they made their way to her room. Once they shut the door Mila practically breathed fire.

"What the hell is wrong with your new little boy toy Ry?! He's a total ass!" She practically shouted. Ry gave a small nod.

"He isn't too bad. I bet if we worked on it he would be nicer." Emily said innocently.

"Think not sweetheart. He's just the typical spoiled white boy. But he is pretty subtle. I don't think he even notices." Christy said, checking her make up in the mirror. Suddenly she whipped around. "By the way, what did he get you?"

"Not sure, I haven't opened..." Ry sweat dropped when her friends suddenly surrounded her, eyes gleaming.

"Open it! Open it!" They cried, chasing Ry over to the bed where they fell in a fit of giggles. Ry pulled out the silver box and opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet with five charms dangling from it. One was a big blue eye, another were the words 'blue eyed girl', the next was kissing lips, the other was the word 'sweet', and the last was her yearbook picture. They all admired it for a moment.

"Wow. This is gorgeous." Christy said, lightly running a finger over the eye.

"There is no way I can accept this. It looks-" Ry frantically looked around at her friend's faces. She was holding the bracelet away from her and turning a cute shade of red.

"It _looks_ like something a birthday girl deserves to get." Mila said firmly while taking the jewelry from Ry's hand and fastening it to her wrist. "Let people spoil _you _for a change. People like doing nice things for you; since you help them."

Ry looked around and saw that all of her friends were looking at her gentle loving smiles. She blushed and fingered a charm on the bracelet.

"Besides his mom is the one that makes these thing so he probably got this for nothing." Christy said. Ry giggled when Mila rolled her eyes and shoved her; soon all of them were laughing, a pile of giggling girls on Ry's bed.

"You happy?" Emily asked, a sweet smile on her face as she looked at her friend. Ry thought for a moment.

"Yea...really happy." She said as she tried to fight the surprise.

"Good. Maybe you're getting better." Christy stated, holding her friend close. Emily rested her head on Ry's lap. Ry looked at them with a mixture of confusion horror.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Mila gently took her friend's hand in her own. "Ry we're your best friends. We know how sad you've been. You think we didn't notice the therapist appointments and fake smiles?"

Ry's head drooped until her wild, spiked hair covered most of her face. "I'm sorry I lied...it's just..."

Christy and Emily sat up and gave her their full attention. Mila gently lifted her face and their hearts broke simultaneously when they saw the tears that gushed from the familiar icy blue eyes. They eyes that always warmed them when they were sad. The eyes that smiled and picked them up as they blundered along. The eyes that gave them the strength to go on after Marissa's death.

"I just miss her so much!" Ry sniffled and brought her knees to her chest. Three pairs of arms reached out to hold her. "It isn't fair! We promised! We said we were going to make sure we spent our last official years as kids together so that we could make as many mistakes as possible! Now I can barely leave my room! She would be so disappointed!"

* * *

"No she wouldn't!"

The cast of Utapri stared at Syo in shock as he stood up so fast his chair fell and began yelling at the screen.

"What your friend would be disappointed about was if you thought that! If she's as great as you think she is then she wouldn't be happy seeing you so sad! So smile!"

Syo's head drooped and he lowered himself to his knees. Natsuki started moving towards him but Camus grabbed his arm and gave him a small head shake. Suddenly Haruka gasped.

"She...did she...?"

They all looked towards the screen to see Ry staring in confusion. Her friends were speaking but it was like she was tuning them out. Slowly she got up and stood in front of her TV.

"What are you doing?" The girl with the amber eyes finally asked.

"Sorry...I could have sworn I heard something." Ry said absent mindedly. She looked at the sides of the television and ran her hands around the back. "I thought maybe the TV was going weird."

"I didn't hear anything." The amber eyed one said and the rest began shaking their heads. Ry looked at the TV once more before turning to the bed and their conversation.

"She heard you?" Otoya asked Syo, shocked. Syo himself was looking at through the screen at the girl with wide eyes. His mouth opened and closed, too stunned to actually form words.

"Aho ho ho!"

Everyone except Syo (who was still in shock) sweat dropped and watched as Shining made his dramatic entrance. He strode over to stand in front of Syo, finally getting his attention.

"I told you! You broke the rule! No falling in love with real people!"

Syo's face went red with anger and he shot up, steam pouring out of his ears as he shook his fists. "What does that have to do with anything! I ain't in love with her! And that isn't even the point! Why can she suddenly hear us!?"

"Aho ho ho!" Shining laughed, enraging Syo even more. "She can't hear all of you! Just you! It's what I call a 'love link'! You both broke the rules! Real people and us are not supposed to fall in love!"

"But we aren't-" Syo began to protest but Shining began wagging a finger close to his face.

"Ah ah ahhhh! You have to make a choice now! Don't drag anyone else into it!" Suddenly, before anyone could ask any questions, he was gone.

"I wonder if this is because of that old legend." Ringo-sensei crossed her arms and cocked her head. Everyone's attention shifted to her.

"Well?" Ren asked after a few minutes.

"It isn't really my place to say..." Ringo began then blanched when she was met with various death glares. "There was this story I heard. Don't remember where from but that doesn't matter. Apparently a fictional character and a real person had fallen in love before. The girl was in an action anime and the boy was a real kid. The boy, lets call him Real, fell in love with the girl's character and began exploring it deeper, allowing the love to connect to the actual fictional character. The girl couldn't feel it but just watching the boy live his life made her love him as well. After awhile they could talk even if the TV was off. That's how deep their connection was. Then they discovered that Real could either go in or the girl could go out. Obviously he chose to go in but there were side effects. He was never able to see his family again and he had no way of getting out. He began to resent the girl and eventually they couldn't stand to look at each other. The end."

The Utapri cast ignored Ringo's cutesy smile at the end of her story and looked at Syo.

"So...I have to choose..what exactly?" Syo asked in a daze. His brain was trying to process that being with a real person was possible. The rest of STARISH looked at each other.

"Probably whether or not you'll keep talking to her. Or letting you hear her talk." Otoya said gently.

"Then whether or not you ruin her life or yours." Ren said blandly, giving everyone a shrug. They all shot him hostile glares and began dragging him out of the room as they allowed Syo a moment of privacy. He glanced out of the screen in time to see Ry walking out of the door, staring at the TV out of the corner of her eye. Syo felt warmth blossom in his chest.

_You can hear me. That means...you love me too._

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4! Thank you both of my guest reviewers!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Utapri. **

* * *

_I really...thought I heard something. _

Ry sat on her bed, staring at the TV. All of her guests had left and she had just finished cleaning up. Her parents were already fast asleep since she had insisted that she wouldn't be needing any help. She felt frustration and sadness roll off of her in waves as she seriously considered the possibility of hearing Syo's voice telling her something that definitely wasn't part of his show.

_Maybe...it was the situation? Maybe that was something I needed to hear and so my mind recreated the voice of my favorite character so it would bring me more comfort? Or maybe I'm just crazy. _Ry sweat dropped and ran a hand through her hair. _I'm definitely crazy. An anime character is the most comforting voice my mind could think in. _

Ry flopped back on her bed and was still for a few moments before making a decision. She sprang up and strode over to her TV with a determined look on her face.

"H-Hello? Can you...hear me?" She drooped, losing her resolve instantly. "Of course you can't. You're a TV and I'm just a psycho with hallucinations. I can't believe I seriously thought Syo talked."

_"Umm. Uh. Hello? I don't even know if this will work again but...ugh whatever! Can you hear me or what?!"_

Ry froze and stared into the black face of the TV. Her body shivered and she gasped for breath.

"No way...Are you...? Am I...?" Ry grabbed her face with her hands and flinched. "I'm a damn lunatic! What the hell?! Why does shit like this happen to me?!"

_"Hey if you want to think I'm a hallucination, fine, but could you do it quietly?!"_

On the other side of the screen Syo stood alone, heart racing, body tense, palms sweaty, and a complete wreck. He couldn't believe that he was actually talking to her. As he watched her disbelieving face on the other side of the screen, he felt his heart leap into his throat and he began to wonder how long he would be able to pretend that he wasn't affected at all.

"So...this is...Syo? Right?" She asked hesitantly, a blush spreading over her cheeks as she realized how willing she would be to accept this oddity if it was Syo. Her heart was pounding so loud she was sure he could hear it.

_"Of course it is! How can you ask, you watch the show enough to know our voices right?!"_ He snapped, reacting the only way he knew how.

"Yea but I wanted to make sure!" She said indignantly, involuntarily pouting.

On the other side of the screen Syo hid his face in his hands.

_How does she make such cute faces?! _

_"R-Right. Sorry. This all...a big surprise. Sorry if I..."_ Syo gritted his teeth as he tried to get the words out.

"It's ok. This is weird. So this isn't normal? In your world? Or what ever you want to call it. 'Show', I guess?" Her eyes moved across the TV, not knowing where to look.

_"No..."_ Syo rubbed a hand over his mouth and looked away. His mind was flooding with all the things the Chairman had told him about the 'love link'.

"So how is it happening?" She asked practically. "Hey is there any way I can actually see you?"

_"Umm. I-I don't know. Maybe?"_ Syo gripped his hair and tried not to make any noise. It was bad enough that he had to talk to her while acting like he didn't care but if she could actually see him he didn't think he'd be able to keep his cool.

"Hold on." Ry gave the TV an excited look and went across the room for a moment. Syo swooned. Suddenly a light flickered on and his part of the TV seemed to become brighter. Ry looked at the TV in wonder then sat on the bed with her head between her knees. "Nowaynowaynoway!"

_"What?! Can you see me? Stand up!"_ Syo let the nerves get the best of him as he watched her. The girl looked up at the TV again with a frightened expression.

"Say something again." She said cautiously.

_"Like what?"_ Syo asked. Ry's hands shot up and began rubbing her face.

"Ok. So this really is happening. I'm not just hearing things." She muttered.

_"So you can see me?!"_ Syo tensed up as she slowly nodded. Her eyes seemed to fill with warmth as the shock of it all set in. Her lips parted as she studied him. Syo stared at her lips, temporarily letting go of his manly façade. He lifted up his hand and rubbed his own bottom lip with an index finger. _"You do that a lot. When you're concentrating."_

When Ry looked up at him her eyes were as soft as his voice. "You were...watching me?"

That caused Syo to snap out of his daze. _"What?! No! Of course not! Duh!"_

"You were watching me." Ry stated with a mischievous look. She giggled when Syo tried to find words but failed, resorting to turning lightly away with a pouty face. Suddenly the expression dropped and she looked at him with suspicion. "If you guys can see me all the time then does that mean you guys watch me undress?"

_"NO! Absolutely not! Never! Not even a glimpse!"_ Syo jumped around frantically, trying to convince her. Her expression never changed. _"Stop asking stupid stuff! What did you do to make it so you could see me?"_

"Oh. All I did was turn on the TV. I just left the DVD player off." She shrugged. "So how and why is this happening?"

Syo rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, sweating. He searched for a way to tell her that they were supposedly in love. _"Well, see this guy-"_

_"Syo-chan who are you talking too?"_

Syo blanched and looked over to see Natsuki walking over to him. He looked fuzzier around the edges and he wondered if that was the effect of being seen by Ry-chan. Natsuki continued to give him a questioning look.

"Was that Natsuki? I can hear them too?!" Ry strode over to the TV and looked at the area around Syo with excited eyes. Inside the TV Natsuki was in shock.

_"Oh. Uh yea that was him. But why can you hear him...?"_ A wave of jealousy washed over Syo.

_Could it be that she also loves Natsuki? _He wondered and glared at his childhood friend.

_"Ry-chaaaann~!"_ Natsuki suddenly cried. He flung himself at the screen of the TV and hugged her image. _"You can hear me too?!"_

"Yup!" Ry gave a cute little smile. "This is so fun. I get to talk to my second favorite character now."

_"I'm...one of your favorites?"_ Natsuki asked in wonder, pointing a finger at his chest, even though Ry gave no sign that she could see him. Syo felt a strange mix of jealously, sadness, and pain as the girl he loved gave another cute smile. All thoughts left him as he sulked over the fact that she hadn't looked at him like that.

"Yup. Second favorite." She clarified again, a small blush washing over her cheeks.

_"Who's your number one favorite Ry-chan?"_ Natsuki practically bounced. Ry looked at the floor and scoffed her foot on the carpet, her face an even brighter red than before. Syo covered his mouth with the back of his hand and stared at her adorable expression.

"Syo." She mumbled.

_"Oh that's right; you and Syo-chan are in love."_ Natsuki smiled cluelessly as both Syo and Ry held their arms up in a defensive posture and flinched back.

"W-what makes you say that?" Ry asked in a shaky voice.

_"Natsuki don't open your mouth if you're just going to say stupid stuff."_ Syo added weakly.

_"But Syo-chan, isn't that the reason you two can talk to-"_ Natsuki was cut short when Syo panicked and got him in a head lock.

_"Shut up!"_ Syo cried.

_"Waaah?! Don't you love Ry-chan, Syo-chan?"_ Natsuki asked. Syo's eye twitched and his soul practically left him when Ry interjected.

"Oh probably not." Ry said sweetly. "I mean I'm totally in love with him now but he isn't real so it can't happen. I'm sure Syo doesn't even like me very much since he doesn't know me."

Natsuki stared at her in wonder and Syo froze completely before fainting. Ry just stood in her room, rubbing the back of her neck as she gave the TV a cute, awkward smile.

_"Yay! I knew you loved each other!"_ Natsuki cheered. Syo blinked up at the ceiling as he regained consciousness.

"N-No I don't think he-" Ry started but was cut off by Syo.

_"Don't decide a person's feelings for them."_ He mumbled, hiding his face with the brim of his hat as he stared at the ground. Ry's face turned red again and her eyes began to fill with tears.

_"Ry-chan, don't cry!"_ Natsuki squeaked. Syo's head shot up and he placed his hands on the glass as he stared at her face, though she refused to look at him.

_"What's wrong?"_ He asked, his voice gentler than it had been previously.

"W-What do you e-expect? Y-You can't j-just imply that you have f-feelings for the girl that l-loves you and expect her n-not to cry. This is s-so hopeless!" A small sob caused her frame to shake and she pressed a hand over her mouth and continued to look away.

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked quietly. Both of the boys felt utterly helpless as Ry sniffled and cried, tears flowing down her face.

"You guys are in there!" She cried, clutching her head and shutting her eyes tight. Ry turned her face away slightly, as if she was trying to tune everything out. "This doesn't even mean anything! Why did you even talk to me in the first place? You'll just leave me! That's why I liked your show! I thought you would always be there for me, always the same comforting routine every time I needed you!"

Ry pressed a hand over her mouth and rushed out of her room, stumbling from the blinding effect of her tears.

* * *

"Ry-chan!" Natsuki futally pressed his palms against the screen. He turned to Syo, worry etched deep in the lines of his face. Syo stood in silence for a moment then a roar ripped through his throat and he kicked the chair closest to him. Natsuki flinched and could only stare when Ren and Otoya came seemingly out of nowhere and restrained Syo.

"Syo!"

"Kurusu!"

For the next few moments were so silent that all you could hear was the sound of Ren, Otoya, and Syo trying to catch their breath. Haruka and the rest of the boys all shared a look. They all looked worried.

"You guys...saw?" Natsuki asked, sitting down on the floor. Otoya and Ren sat on either side of Syo while the others filled in the remaining seats.

"Hai." Haruka said timidly.

"After all that and we still didn't learn the Little Bird's name." Ren said nonchalantly. His eyes went wide and everyone in the room jumped when Syo began to shout.

"Don't you dare make a fuckin' joke! She's out there crying by herself!" He gnashed his teeth in his friend's face but his angry mask soon dissolved to show sad, puppy-dog, eyes. Syo's voice became weak and tired. "I made her cry. This is all my fault..."

"No! That isn't right Syo-chan!" Natsuki insisted, putting on a courageous face. "She was really happy to talk to you at first! And she really likes you! She's just sad that you can't be together!"

There was a moment of silence.

"But...you can be together? Isn't that what Shining said? And the story..." Otoya cocked his head in confusion.

"No. We can't. I'm not going to tell her about that." Syo said firmly, crossing his arms, resolve settling in his features.

"Isn't that a bit counterproductive?" Tokiya asked with an edge of surprise.

"Counter what?! I don't care about that! If she comes here then she'll give up her precious friends and if I go there then I'll give up my precious friends! I don't want her to be hurt like that!" Syo barked.

"That makes it alright to not even tell her?" Masato asked calmly, sitting stiffly with his eyes closed. "She should know her options."

"Shut your-"

_"Well don't worry Masato. I know them now." _STARISH, Cecil, and Haruka sweat dropped and slowly turned to face the TV. Ry was standing in front of the screen. _"Would it be too much to ask for a moment alone with Syo?" _

Everyone except Syo began to stand up and as they were walking out Ren spun on his heel.

"Just one thing, Little Bird." He said in his smooth voice. Ry cocked her head and her eyes scanned the area around Syo.

_"Yes?" _

"What is your full name?" The other cast members turned and perked their ears, equally interested in the response.

_"I thought you knew? I mean you call me Ry-chan so...?" _Her brow furrowed.

"We only caught the first part of your name. We are having trouble guessing what comes after, Little Bird." Ren casually shrugged, despite the fact that she was essentially blind to him. Syo clenched his fists as he heard that nickname. Jealousy was once again rearing it's ugly head.

"There aren't many girl names that start with 'Ry.'" Tokiya added.

_"Yea well only part of it is a girl name..." _She looked away and her face became comically bland. _"My full name is RyLynn. RyLynn Ravenna." _

"Kawaii!" Natsuki squealed. "Ren calls you little bird and your last name sounds like the name of the bird and you're little!"

Syo let her name roll around in his mind, savoring every syllable. He stared straight into Ry's eyes as he did so and tried to look resolved. She returned his look with a cute blush. Syo had to clamp down on his emotions so he didn't give a victorious hoot.

_She made a cute expression! For me! Just me! _

"Well, we are pleased to meet you...RyLynn." Syo's good mood nearly dropped when he heard the seductive spin Ren had put into his voice while saying her name. It was restored when she replied.

_"Uh, yea. You guys too. But seriously. I need to talk to Syo." _Her eyes never left Syo's and the others finally took the hint and left.

* * *

Ry gave a small sigh of relief when Syo finally nodded, confirming that they had left. Her entire body was tense and she was trying not to melt from the direct eye contact.

_"How did you hear?"_ Syo asked abruptly.

"Oh. Urm. Well I left the TV on and so when I came back I just over heard it." Ry tried not to look sheepish but felt that she was failing terribly. She was surprised to find that, instead of being angry, Syo was silent and looking at her attentively. Deciding to be more assertive, Ry straightened her shoulders and look Syo in the eyes. "I want you to explain everything. From the beginning."

Syo stared at her then sighed. He began telling what he knew about what was going on, blushing every time he had to talk about being in love. At some point he noticed that she was covering her mouth lightly with her hand and looking away.

_"What?"_ He snapped.

"S-sorry. It's just...Syo, you look so cute when you blush." Her face went red and she hid it in her own hands. Syo lurched back and was as red as she was. He stammered a couple of times before he could get back to the story. When he was finished they both were silent for awhile.

_"I won't let you come here."_ Syo said forcefully, breaking the silence.

"It isn't just your choice." She glared at him. "Besides it isn't like we have to decide right now right?"

Syo crossed his arms and his brow twitch when he realized she was right.

"Can't we just..." Ry started but began hesitating.

_"What?"_ Syo asked softly.

"I dunno. Get to know each other? Talk." Ry looked away.

_"Well. I guess that's a good idea."_ Syo said stubbornly. She looked at him with wide eyes that slowly filled with happiness. The corner of her lips turned up and she beamed.

"Yea. G'night." She moved to turn off the TV then stopped abruptly. Syo jumped when she began wagging a finger at him. "Don't watch me!"

_"What ridiculousness are you spewing?! Don't be stupid!"_ Syo went red. Ry smiled and began getting ready for bed, turning of the TV and lights. Syo also started trudging towards the room he shared with Natsuki and Ai. He glanced one last time out of the screen. That night he lulled himself to sleep with thoughts of the real girl sleeping outside of his little world, not knowing that that same girl was thinking of him as well.

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**Thank you for reading! Please review!**


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